1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to integrated circuits, and, more specifically, to power management within integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
As processing demands for processors increase, power consumption and heat dissipation have become an important concern in processor design. Designers typically create processors that are designed to operate in predetermined temperature and power ranges. Ensuring that a processor operates in these ranges while maximizing a processor's performance can be difficult. As a result, certain processors now include a power management system that manages processor operation to maintain a balance between these two goals.
A power management system typically manages operation of a processor by determining temperatures and power consumption of the processor. This information can be used to determine whether a processor is overheating (and thus needs to be powered down). This information can also be used to determine permissible performances states of a processor. For example, if a processor management system determines that a processor is about to exceed temperature or power constraints, the system may instruct the processor to operate at a lower performance state.